Next Jaguar XJ will be a huge leap forward

October 8, 2018, 3:57 amby Ronan Glon

The next XJ will be "beautiful, sporty, and sleek."

Introduced eight years ago, the current-generation Jaguar XJ is fast approaching the end of its life cycle. The British firm is nearly done developing its successor. It's not quite ready to reveal specific details yet, but it promises we won't see more of the same.

The original XJ made its debut in 1968, and its basic design changed very little over the following four decades. Jaguar lead designer Ian Callum admitted he's committed to avoid falling in the trap of evolutionary design. The XJ's replacement won't look anything like the model currently found in showrooms (pictured).

"I don't think the XJ should have gone through all the traditional design phases it did. I think it should have been more revolutionary each time. And I think the reason was that William Lyons just wasn't there anymore," he explained in an interview with .

He pointed out the difference between the new BMW 3 Series and the outgoing model isn't huge. "I won't say too much, but it will be a bigger step than that," he affirmed while describing the difference between the next XJ and the current model. We'll have to wait until 2019 to find out what exactly Callum and his team have in store but he gave Road & Track a few important hints.

"As for the next XJ, it has to be beautiful, sporty, sleek, it has to be a driver's car. The design has to signify the message of a sports car. It's not just a three-box sedan. It's something people wanna get into and drive. And that has to be a message of its shape," he said.